ONEHUNGA STREETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 100, 19 July 1927, Page 3

ONEHUNGA STREETS

IMPROVEMENT WORKS LOAN OR REVENUE? A long argument ensued at Onehunga Borough Council meeting last evening, as to the source from which money should be drawn for certain street improvement works. The foreman of works submitted the following estimates for concreting roads to a depth of seven inches:—Princes Street West, £3,569; Church Street West, £4,507; May’s Road, £7,039, and Mount Smart Road, £13,027; total. £28,143. The council decided to take a poll of the whole borough with reference to concreting Mount Smart Road and Church Street only, the depth to be reduced to six inches. Later in the proceedings the council dealt with nine tenders received for kerbing and channelling Cardwell Street, and two tenders for concreting the intersection of Quadrant and Norman Hill Roads. For Cardwell Street (foreman’s estimate £555), the lowest tender, that of Messrs| F. Clarke and Reynolds, at £476 18s Id, was accepted, and for the intersection concrete work, the choice fell to Messrs. H. Bray and Co., at £682 7s 6d (£142 lower than the other tender), the foreman's estimate being £707. The council, in committee, had agreed that the costs of these two contracts should be met out of revenue, but Mr. Speight took strong objection to this, contending that these two contracts should be included in the loan proposals to be presented on behalf of the other works in Church Street and Mount Smart Road; otherwise invidious feeling would possibly be created in other parts of the district, and the carrying of the loans proposed placed in jeopardy. To take from revenue for such a purpose was wrong in principle. A loan to cover the needs of roading for the whole borough should be sought. Cr. Morten disagreed. In the past affairs concerning permanent works had not been decided upon, and the proportion involved in the two contracts accepted was really good. It would afford the ratepayers a satisfying illustration of the class of permanent work the council had decided to provide over all parts of the borough in the future, and would take only a comparatively small sum out of revenue.

Cr. Stoupe refused to accept the idea that the action proposed would antagonise one part of the district against another, and thus jeopardise the carrying of the loans sought. Supporting the recommendation, the Mayor said the great fault and trouble of the old council had been the failure to go on with solid, permanent work, instead of which they had merely been pursuing the costly old style of work which had to be continually renewed periodically. After further argument the council confirmed the proposal to meet the costs from revenue, only Messrs. Speight and Lipscombe voting against.